Tag: People and Human Interest

Disability

B1 – Intermediate

Disability refers at physical, mental or other inability of a person that one is incapable of completing a task that would require typically normal efforts. Each type of disability needs different kind of support and assistance.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about disability.

https://listenaminute.com/d/disability.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘disability’? Explain.
  2. What does “human spirit” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does “to excel” mean? Give 2 synonyms.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Some people prefer to use the term ‘physically challenged’ instead of ‘disabled’. What do you think about this?
  2. What problems do people with disabilities face in your country?
  3. Do you always try to help people who are disabled? In what way?

UNESCO’s Website for the International Year of Indigenous Languages 

B2 – Upper Intermediate

What languages do you think are the most common nowadays? According to UNESCO, 96 percent of the world’s population speaks only 4 percent of the world’s languages.

Read the article, discover why some languages are dying out today, and see if it is possible to save them.

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-launches-website-international-year-indigenous-languages-iyil2019

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “extinction” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. Explain the word “collaboration” in your own words. Give some synonyms of this word.
  3. Based on the context of the sentence, “The website will contribute to raising the awareness about this International Year and about the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages around the world.” What does the underlined word mean?

Discussion Question:

  1. How many languages are there in the world?
  2. Is the Internet to blame for the extinction of languages? Why?
  3. What languages that are commonly used online are mentioned in the article?
  4. Why will the next generation probably use a foreign language to communicate?
  5. What is the main reason for some languages not being used online?
  6. Why is it so important to protect endangered languages?

Ways to Increase Motivation and Get More Done

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Productivity largely depends on motivation because it’s challenging to complete tasks if you don’t have the desire to perform them.

However, a lot of people have trouble finding and maintaining motivation at work, which can result in a decline in productivity. How you boost motivation so that you accomplish more now presents a difficulty.

Watch this video on ways to increase motivation to get more done.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. Give 1-2 synonyms of the word “plummet“. Use them in sentences.
    Many people struggle to get and stay motivated at work which can cause their productivity to plummet.
  2. What does the phrase “cut back” mean?
    Look for changes you can make in your daily routine to promote better sleep. These can be things such as cutting back on caffeine and powering down your devices.
  3. What does the phrase “carve out” mean? Use it in your own sentence.
    Try to carve out at least 30 minutes per day for exercise.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you a motivated individual? How can you say so?
  2. What do you consider to be the most crucial of the methods described in the video?
  3. What are things that motivate you?

South Koreans to Become Younger

B1 – Intermediate

In South Korea, there are three different ways to tell how old they are. It is rather confusing, isn’t it? But not for long. They have a new law that can simplify age in their country. Hopefully, it will help end the confusion people have when telling their age.

Read the article to know about the new law that will make South Koreans now a year or two younger.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2212/221222-being-younger.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What is a “lawmaker”? Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What is “military service”? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. What does “relieved” mean in this sentence, “A Korean Twitter user was relieved there is a new law to make things simpler.”? Give a synonym and also use it in your own sentence. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your own words, explain the three ways South Korea tell their age. What is your opinion about having 3 different ages?
  2. Do you think this new law will be helpful? Why or why not?
  3. What are the good and bad things about having 3 different ages?
  4. If you were from this country, would you continue to use the Korean age?
  5. What is the best and worst thing about your current age?

Keeping New Year’s Resolutions

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A new year brings hope that we can leave the previous behind and look forward to a better one. It is also right around this time when we take the chance to also make some New Year’s resolutions.

However, be careful for this glimmer of hope not to die down along the way.

Read the article to know more on how to keep your New Year’s resolutions.

https://www.voanews.com/a/an-annual-battle-keeping-new-year-s-resolutions-/6895882.html

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “set someone up for something” mean? “That feeling of hope can dissipate amid day-to-day stressors but there are ways to set goals without feeling like you’re setting yourself up for failure.” Use it in your own sentence.
  2. What does “follow through” mean? Use it in your own sentence.
  3. Give 1-2 synonyms of “endpoint”. Use them in your own sentences. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why might be reasons people make New Year’s resolutions? Do you make them yourself? Why or why not?
  2. Do you agree or disagree on this, “People should also reflect on their progress to see how far they’ve come rather than only focusing on the endpoint.”? Explain your point.
  3. Share your thoughts on this, “if people know why they’ve set goals, they’re more likely to reach them.”
  4. What are some things you want to change this year and why is it that you want to make said changes?
  5. How can one make sure that they follow through on their goals?

Pros and Cons of Social Media

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Social media is undeniably one of society’s most valuable tools. Almost everyone has social media accounts and some even earn money through them. We can’t deny the fact that it has helped us a lot, especially with getting in touch with our family and friends who are far away from us. However, if not used correctly, it could do people more harm than good.

Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of social media by reading this article.

https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/social-media-good-bad-and-ugly

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “lurk” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. Explain the meaning of “facsimile” in your own words. Use it in a sentence.
  3. What is the meaning of the word “vulnerable“? Provide some synonyms of this word.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you use social media? If yes, how many hours a day do you spend using it? If not, why?
  2. Do you believe that social media is useful?
  3. How do you think will the world be without social media?
  4. Are social media websites widely used in your country?
  5. What do you think is the greatest benefit of using social media?
  6. In your opinion, what is the worst effect of social media on its users?

Ways of Dealing with Bad News

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We hear both positive and negative news every day. If we receive good news, we feel delighted. On the other hand, there are upsetting stories left and right. We’d better be prepared to deal with them.

The article below is a guide on how to deal with bad news.

https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/03/expert-approved-ways-of-dealing-with-bad-news-part-i/

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What is “doomscrolling“? Use it in a sentence.

2. Explain “climate crisis”. Use it in a sentence.

Example sentence: The climate crisis impacts different sectors of society.

Question Prompt: Make a sentence.

3. What does the phrase “sink in” mean here, “Instead of letting a sense of powerlessness sink in, Harley Street coach and trauma expert Olivia James recommends focusing your energy on the positive action you can take.”?

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with the suggestions from the article? Why or why not?

2. Think of some other ways people can deal with bad news. Explain why such ways are effective.

3. What was the last bad news you heard? How did you deal with it?

Steve Jobs’ Motivational Speech 

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Steve Jobs gives the listeners a reason to care. He talks about his own experience and is not ashamed to share his failure with his audience. He uses intriguing and provocative questions about getting fired from a company he himself founded. The question sparks the audience’s strong feelings such as confusion, annoyance, or even anger.

Watch this Steve Job motivational speech.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “devastating” mean? Use it in a sentence.
  2. What does this statement mean “Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick.”?
  3. What does the expression “to dawn on (someone)” mean? Use it in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does the speaker use intriguing, provocative questions? Why does he use them?
  2. What do you find interesting/useful/helpful or useless/boring about the speech? Why?
  3. What does failure teach you?
  4. Share your thoughts on this statement, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”.

Separate the Art from the Artist

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Most people have a favorite artist and they know a lot about them, including their lifestyle, favorites, daily activities, and so on. But often, they naively believe that they know everything there is to know about them. Some even think their favorite artists aren’t capable of doing negative things. However, artists are human beings who are bound to make mistakes and have problematic sides, too.

What if their negative sides came to light? Would you ignore it or utterly stop supporting them?

Read the article to know if it’s really possible or impossible to separate the art from the artist.

https://www.theslateonline.com/article/2022/10/the-slate-speaks-can-you-separate-the-art-from-the-artist#:~:text=It%20is%20possible%20to%20separate,the%20actions%20of%20the%20artist.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “nuance” mean, “There’s a lot of nuance (hence why there’s plenty of books written on the subject).”? Use this word in a sentence.
  2. Explain the meaning of “heinous” in your own words. “But something like the Harry Potter books have themes that are so intertwined with J.K. Rowling’s heinous and ignorant world view that it’s almost impossible to separate the two.” Use it in a sentence.
  3. What does “mainstream” mean, “You can’t say Michael Jackson didn’t impact pop music and the presence of black artists in mainstream media, and you can respect that.”? Give some synonyms of this word.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you have a favorite artist? If yes, do you know a lot about him/her?  How would you react if you learned about your favorite artist’s negative side?
  2. What do you think about thinking too highly of an artist?
  3. Do you think it’s possible to separate the art from the artist? Elaborate. How can it be done?

Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We all have probably heard our own voices in audio recordings or videos, and most people cringe when they hear their own voices. We can’t stand hearing our voices because they sound really weird to us. But why exactly don’t we like hearing the sound of our voice?

Read the article and watch the video to learn the reasons why.

https://time.com/4820247/voice-vocal-cords/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you like hearing your voice in audio recordings or videos? Why or why not?
  2. What’s your usual reaction when you hear your voice?
  3. According to the article and video, why do people hate the sound of their voices? Personally, what do you think are the reasons why people hate hearing their voices?
  4. What do you do when you don’t like the voice of the other person you are speaking or listening to?
  5. What would you do if you don’t like your own voice?